So, reviewing contractors during the pandemic is complicated as the demand for work is great and…read morethe supply of workers is low. That said, this one felt needlessly complicated. Gen-tech is talked up on r/oakland and my spouse was considering some foundation work - these were the deciding factor in going with them over similarly priced bids. Due to the scheduling issues, we will not be using them for foundation work. We started contacting them in July. Our sidewalk compliance wasn't completed with certificate in hand until the end of September. The actual "doing" of the sidewalk only took one day + drying time. But, the scheduling took several rounds of back and forth emails + eventually my spouse calling. Did it get done eventually? Yes. If we were selling and not playing catchup after buying a house pre-market would this timeline have been acceptable to us? Probably not. What broke on the backend? I don't know. Was it delayed because it was a "small" (5k) job? Was it just the season? Who knows. If scheduling for this portion of the business is a ritual problem for them, why not consider a platform like jobber to keep the bids all organized? Anyway, it is done. And that's unfortunately the best thing one can say about this.

Homeowners beware. We needed to get a simple sidewalk compliance certificate before transfer of…read moretitle on the home we just sold. We have a couple hairline (at best) cracks in a couple spots and Chris Bowler came out, had a look, and failed us. Then proceeded to write up a report recommending that we needed to replace basically the whole sidewalk to the tune of almost $2,400. Absolute scam. So we had another contractor come out and they immediately passed our sidewalk with no repairs. Chris is a scam artist.

We used E&F for a bathroom remodel. They did a fantastic job on a job that was not easy. This…read morebathroom had not been remodeled in over 70 years. Yes, 70 years. Everything needed to be torn down and replaced. The wiring was old. The plumbing was leaking. And the flooring needed to be completely replaced. They produced an estimate. And came in on budget. They gave a time frame. And finished on time. I'm not sure what more you could want in a contractor. We will use them again!

The Great (+2 stars) ==========…read more * The structural work: Our home is on a great, new, solid foundation (with shear walls), so we feel as safe as we can be in our home for an earthquake! * Our basement is also now more usable. * Drainage: There is now drainage around the foundation and under the basement slab, so we are no longer worried about our basement flooding! * The working crew were very friendly and considerate. The Bad (-1 star): ========== * The electrical subcontractor was quite bad. The electricians didn't install the dryer outlet properly (one conductor came loose before I first used it), most outlets they installed are loose (they give when pushing in a plug), and they installed a used, old (not LED compatible) dimmer for the LED lights they installed. Also, the owner yelled at his team a lot. * The plumbing subcontractor was bad, too. They misdrilled several holes, damaging the interior of the home. They didn't seal around exterior penetrations into the house. They didn't put a cover over the branch of a wye that was no longer needed. They wouldn't do anything about the loss of hot water pressure in a bathroom faucet that occurred after they moved some plumbing around (I ended up having to disconnect and disassemble the hot water valve myself and I found a piece of silicone clogged in there). They over-glued the drain of the laundry supply box making it nearly impossible to remove the cap, and they lost the o-rings on my faucet aerator. The Ugly (-2 stars): ========== * They overlooked details in the plans about where walls and doors should go, and denied responsibility since they weren't in the structural engineer's plans, which they opted to not have updated with the revisions I told them about. This lead to a sewer pipe being installed in an inconvenient location (it went through the foundation, so it can't be moved), a structural wall that was almost built in the wrong place (I caught it while they were digging the footing), and a room that was built with no doorway (they had to cut some framing to make the opening). * The pricing/scope was negligent at best, but I'd put it closer to misleading or deceptive. During the initial visits, they talked about all the things they would do (including putting up framing, drywall, and insulation), and then sent over an estimate that I accepted. I didn't realize until halfway through the project that the estimate didn't include many of the things they talked about (including the framing, drywall, and insulation); those apparently would be part of "Phase 2," not included in the price of the first estimate. I had chosen E&F over another estimate that was less expensive even though it did explicitly contain the "additional" scope. I was also surprised that the electrical and plumbing (most of which was necessary to get them out of the way for the structural work) was billed separately; i.e., an unexpected additional expense. * They chose to rebuild a segment of stairs (rather than just adding two steps at the bottom, per the plans), which ended up having insufficient clearance with an overhang halfway down. They tried to convince me there was no new problem because they built them the same as before (but the run of the new stairs was one inch longer, causing the 4th step down to be 4 inches closer to the overhang) and resisted remedying the issue. They just ended up taking a sawzall to trim the overhang -- a joist -- which I just have to hope doesn't compromise any structural integrity! Further, they didn't even finish the stairs (sand and seal); "Test your staining skills," they said. * They ghosted before Phase 2. As the structural work was reaching completion, we were going back and forth on scope for Phase 2. However, when the structural work was actually completed, they just stopped communicating, left dirt and demo debris they left on our driveway for a month, then disappeared. There were lots of things they removed to get out of the way (like several segments of fence) but didn't put back. I could easily add 3x more issues and details, but this review is already too long.

Quake Busters was easy to work with, had great customer service, and did a thorough job on our…read moreseismic upgrades. Francisco, the Operations Manager, was very easy to work with, responsive, clear, and always ready to answer our questions. We decided to have a structural engineer check the plan that Quake Buster proposed and the engineer confirmed the plan. The crew showed up on time, did a quality job, and thoroughly cleaned up the job site (very important, IMO). Overall, I think Quake Busters is a great option for seismic work, and especially if you need custom seismic solutions.

I had an excellent experience working with Quakebusters. Jerome and Francisco came to give me an…read moreestimate and helped me navigate the EBB application. Once the work began, the entire crew was very careful, thorough, and communicative. Unlike other contractors, they made sure to clean up the spaces when they were done for the day and made it a positive experience.

Carroll Construction just finished a project for us, replacing the entire house siding. Everything…read morewent as planned without any problem. Tom Carroll oversaw the project: the job was completed efficiently, and the work was done properly at each stage. Communication was good throughout. For the additional repairs he made a time and materials contract, which is very fair. I highly recommend this company.

We had a great experience during the estimating process. Tom was responsive, arrived prepared, and…read moredemonstrated a solid understanding of the project and what it would take to complete it. Even though we decided to move forward with another contractor, he handled the news professionally and was gracious throughout. I appreciated his honesty, clear communication, and respectful approach, and I would gladly recommend him to others.

I recently had Miller's Builders completely renovate my very old kitchen, add a 1/2 bath, and at…read morethe same time do a complete seismic retrofit in the basement. My house was built in 1918. At that time, there was a wood burning stove in the kitchen. It was vented by a chimney that went from the basement up through the kitchen and then through an upstairs bedroom and out the roof. Sometime, probably mid 20th century, the kitchen was updated and the chimney was enclosed in a wall separating the space into a laundry room and tiny toilet room at the back wall of the house, and the kitchen in the front part of the original space. There were windows in the kitchen side wall originally, but before we moved in, in 1989, a building was built next-door up against my roof-line, leaving almost no natural light in the kitchen. After an architect and engineer confirmed the safety of taking out the chimney and wall surrounding it and cutting a huge picture window in the back wall of the house, Charles Miller, owner, and his friendly team of skilled craftsmen got to work. Charles and Julia, his project manager assistant, were completely on top of details like the order of work, procurement of materials, and scheduling sub-contractors so that the progress of the work was not interrupted. Also, when it comes to finishes, these people are perfectionists! The tiniest cosmetic details were handled with an aesthetic and artistic eye. If something needed to be re-done, Charles pointed out to me if I didn't notice it, and it was re-done without complaint. This project took about 5.5 months until full completion and I was able to use the kitchen by about 5 months. I did not have the luxury of moving out during the remodel, so I welcomed that the crew worked just Mondays through Thursdays. I enjoyed 3 day weekends without construction noise. I was the designer of the kitchen, aided by my architect, and my cabinet designer from Home Depot. So, it was useful to be available when necessary, to make choices of things like flooring, tiling, lighting and innards of the cabinets. One special highlight was installing inset stud-bay shelving on one wall. Martin, the carpenter extraordinaire, meticulously created gorgeous shallow shelves for both decorative and functional items. My friends come into my new gorgeous kitchen with natural and LED lighting and give it delighted praise. I'm here to say you can trust Miller's Builders to do the job right with friendly helpful attitudes. And the price was towards the lower end of the 4 bids I received before making my decision. Honestly, I miss these guys.

Millers Builders did a phenomenal job on our project, which was converting a 1-car garage into an…read moreADU with a full kitchen and bathroom. They also helped us with our front gate and leveling part of our front yard for a parking pad. Throughout the process, Charles was extremely communicative and thorough. He really takes care to understand what details you care about, eliciting feedback every step of the way. He is very friendly and personable, and goes out of his way to make sure the finishing touches are exactly what you're looking for. The team was all super friendly and kind to everyone they encountered, including our neighbors and kids. They were all clearly talented at their trades and did a nice job pulling the whole project together. This team can do anything, and they will do it with a lot of pride and craftsmanship. I would without a doubt not hesitate to work with Charles and his team again, and strongly recommend them to anyone looking for a great contractor.

Robert has helped us with several projects over the years: Repairing an exterior wall with a leak,…read moreupdating our kitchen, and replacing windows and framing due to wood rot. Each job went smoothly, the work was excellent, and the prices were fair. What really stands out is Robert's reliability and responsiveness. He's easy to communicate with and, if the project fits his expertise, he'll take it on and get it done well and quickly. He's also connected us with great subcontractors for other work (HVAC, roofing, and carpentry) all of whom have delivered quality results at reasonable prices. Highly recommended.

I hired Robert on two separate occasions, with the first being a kitchen remodel and the second…read morebeing a full home renovation. In 2019 we renovated our kitchen. Robert's estimate was fair and he stuck to his word in terms of price and duration. Fast forward to 2023 and we were considering moving to a new house that we fell in love with but it needed a lot of work. I messaged Robert and asked if he could give his professional opinion before we made an offer to buy it - no problem. Robert was really helpful in the walkthrough and we ended up buying the house, hiring Robert, and working together over several months to renovate the kitchen, bathrooms, floors, stucco, HVAC, you name it. Robert was able to take on all aspects of the project whether it was something he'd do himself, with his direct employees, or with subcontractors that he'd worked with before. We were very happy with how Robert consistently kept the whole home renovation project moving along and with the details he identified throughout. Thanks Robert for helping us put together our lovely new home!

Home Healing Renovations completed a comprehensive remodel of my house that included some serious…read morefoundation retrofitting and concrete site work. This was a big 10-month project that involved coordinating with an architect and multiple engineering disciplines. I hired HHR on a personal recommendation, but also because I could tell that Jason cares first and foremost about doing quality work, and is a straightforward and honest communicator - not always easy to find in a contractor. The house looks great, tons of neighbors walking by keep telling me so, so it's not just my opinion - but also, several neighbors have commented on how nice and friendly Jason's crews are. That was my experience too, if you hire this company most or all of the work will be done by employees who - as best I can tell - like their jobs and the owner. That makes a big difference in how the project goes. Shout outs to Rafael, Costa, Santos, and everyone who put tons of work into fixing up the house.

HHR returned to complete a beautiful renovation on our second floor…read morejust two years after the first floor (reviewed in July 2024). Jason again coordinated the planning and permit process seamlessly and also worked with the City of Alameda to upgrade the electrical service to our house. They created a stunningly beautiful total remodel of the guest bathroom with new bathtub, gorgeous tile work and perfect installation of new vanity, fixtures, grab bars, lighting. There was excellent timing of the many stages of construction, with a smooth daily sequence of the teams of highly skilled and professional electricians,plumbers, carpenters and painters. We always received excellent communication for the schedule of work. There was hardly ever a weekday without substantial work taking place. All the workers were highly skilled, tremendously helpful, cheerful and professional. It was truly a pleasure to deal with the entire team. With these two renovations, HHR has now totally redone our three bathrooms, installed pocket doors, reconfigured closets, installed new wood flooring, and performed many electrical and lighting improvements. We are 100% pleased with the results of both of the renovations. Home Healing Renovations are the very best and are highly recommended.

Highly recommend for anyone looking to get work done under the EBB program! Oscar and Daniel came…read morein with a competitive bid and know the ins and outs of the program very well. Work was also completed on time and team left the place clean and tidy after.

Highly recommend for ESS (Earthquake Soft Story)! Altamira just finished an ESS seismic retrofit at…read moreour house in Oakland and my wife and I are very happy. Oscar was a great communicator and educator on the project and navigating the CEA ESS program related plans and permits, and ensured the project was competitively priced and well managed. Daniel and his crew performed the work, and were very professional, courteous, and tidy. They completed the work on time and within budget, and completed almost all of the CEA ESS application for us. A wonderful team and experience for us. Thank you, Altamira!